Page 82 of Ruthless Redemption

My blood turns cold. “Excuse me?”

“He convinced Cole to give him thirty days to win you back. That’s why you’re here. That’s why Cole let you leave with him in Denver.”

“He didn’tletme leave. I wasforcedto go. Cole cut me off financially, then took delight in informing me I would be reliant on the Butcher Boys of Baltimore while ignoring all my pleas to return home. He stood by while the man who lied and betrayed me was left to be my only support.”

“He stood by while the man you loved was allowed a second chance to win you back,” she counters.

My pulse becomes erratic.

“I’m sorry. I should’ve said something sooner, but…” She reaches for me, her fingers gently gliding over my wrist. “You two seemed like you were getting along when we first arrived. Maybe not perfectly. But it looked to me like you were trying to make things work. You were close on the balcony last night, and Hunter had already said you’d hooked up on a more—” She bites her lip. “—explicit level.”

I raise a hand to my mouth as disgust burns the back of my throat. “I can’t believe this.”

“All any of us want is for you to be happy. And youwerehappy with him, right?”

“I was happy when all I knew were lies. I didn’t know who he was back then.”

“But you didn’t fall in love with his name. You fell in love with the man.”

I glare. “Well, I sure as hell would’ve thought twice if I’d known who he really was.”

“I understand. And I should’ve spoken to you as soon as I arrived. I just…” She shrugs. “I didn’t want to get in the middle of the deal they made. But you can come home. There’s nothing stopping you from flying out of here with us.”

My stomach hollows. My chest, too.

I turn my attention to the aircraft, trying to determine if that’s what I want—a way out, an escape.

“I realize leaving would mean Matthew lost the deal and would have to face the consequences,” she continues. “But if you’re not—”

My gaze snaps to hers. “What consequences?”

“Well, obviously Cole didn’t go into the agreement without a potential reward. You know him as well as I do. He isn’t someone who would let an asset like Matthew slip through his fingers.”

Matthew sold his soul?

I glare at him. Glare so hard my temples ache. But he stares straight ahead, not paying me attention as his hands hold the steering wheel in a white-knuckled grip.

“You still love him,” she murmurs.

“No.” My denial is instantaneous. “I was a fool—”

“You weren’t a fool, Layla. You were in love. With a man who clearly adores you.”

I turn my glare to my sister, my pulse thunderous. “He lied to me.”

“No man is perfect.”

“When I wouldn’t disclose my full name, he had me mugged in a successful attempt to steal my identification.”

She cringes. “While I’m not condoning his tactics, I will admit Sebastian did far worse to me before we hooked up.”

She doesn’t understand. What she went through with Decker isn’t the same. “Matthew’s family abducted Stella and Tobias. They killed Benji.”

“Hisfamily,” she reiterates. “Not him. He showed the goodness in his character by disowning them years before the Costas crossed our path.”

“The goodness in his character? Keira, he became the Butcher of Baltimore.”

“Then abandoned his role,” she argues. “How many men do you know who have been dragged into our world, then fought to get out? How many men do you know who would beallowedto walk away? I might be on my own with this opinion, but I think what he achieved shows a level of integrity well beyond anything we’re accustomed to.”

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